By George Niemann

PoHo contributor and R-LAND and UCAN activist

NIMBY Slayer Patrick Slevin rode into Tampa Sept. 3 looking for action, but there was no shootout to be had. He gave an instructional presentation to developers on how to deal with pesky NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) that get in the way of development projects. The presentation was sponsored by the Urban Land Institute and held at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. It was titled,

“America Loves Progress…But Americans Hate Change”

A Conversation on Civic Engagement, Hometown Democracy and NIMBYism

Slevin markets himself as a modern-day Paladin (from the old TV series western). His approach is aggressive — the only good NIMBY is a paved-over NIMBY.

This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2009.